Tag: Las Vegas Restaurants

Gymkhana Night: An Indian Dinner Party at Home

Gymkhana Night: An Indian Dinner Party at Home
Chilean Sea Bass Butter Masala

GYMKHANA NIGHT
AN INDIAN DINNER PARTY AT HOME

When Gymkhana—one of London’s most celebrated Indian restaurants—opened its first Las Vegas location, it quickly became one of the city’s most anticipated dining destinations. While a reservation is certainly on my list, I was equally excited to discover that several of the restaurant’s signature simmer sauces are available to order online.

For this dinner party, I built the menu around three of those sauces: Green Tikka, Butter Masala, and Goan Coconut Curry. Each one delivers the depth and complexity of Gymkhana’s distinctive flavors, making it easy to create an elegant Indian-inspired meal at home while adding a few personal touches.

Gymkhana Night: An Indian Dinner Party at Home
Prawn Coconut Curry & Curry-Pickled Onions
GYMKHANA NIGHT MENU
NAAN
Garlic Yogurt Green Chutney
CHILEAN SEA BASS
Butter Masala
Warm Cream Swirl, Cilantro, Jalapeño
PRAWNS
Goan Coconut Curry
Chile Oil, Cilantro, Edible Flowers
SAFFRON BASMATI RICE
Cashews, Pomegranate, Mint, Cilantro
CURRY-PICKLED RED ONION
ROASTED HARIYALI CORN
Green Tikka Marinade, Deggi Mirch, Chopped Cilantro
Gymkhana Night: An Indian Dinner Party at Home
Naan & Garlic Yogurt Green Chutney

The silky Butter Masala was a natural pairing for buttery Chilean sea bass, finished with a swirl of warm cream, fresh cilantro, and sliced jalapeño. Sweet prawns nestled into the fragrant Goan Coconut Curry, then were garnished with chile oil, cilantro, and edible flowers for a vibrant presentation. Roasted corn, coated in the herbaceous Green Tikka marinade, added smoky flavor and bright color to the plate.

Gymkhana Night: An Indian Dinner Party at Home
Hariyali Corn & Saffron Basmati

To complete the meal, saffron basmati rice was finished with toasted cashews, jewel-like pomegranate arils, fresh mint, and cilantro. Curry-pickled red onions added a tangy counterpoint that balanced the richness of the curries, while warm naan and a cool garlic yogurt chutney tied everything together.

The result was an elegant dinner inspired by one of London’s iconic Indian restaurants, yet relaxed enough to enjoy at home with friends. Three exceptional sauces provided the foundation, while high-quality seafood, summer corn, plenty fresh herbs, and thoughtful garnishes made the evening uniquely my own.

Gymkhana Night Recipes

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Tomates Aliñados (Spanish Tomato Salad)

Tomates Aliñados (Spanish Tomato Salad)

Tomates Aliñados
🇪🇸 🍅 🍅 🍅 🇪🇸
Inspired by José Andrés’
Spain My Way

Spanish Tomato Salad
Anchovies, Manchego, Oregano
Spanish Olive Oil, Sherry Vinegar
Country Loaf, Chilled Amontillado Sherry

An unforgettable dinner at Bazaar Meat Las Vegas by José Andrés inspired me to bring a little more of Spain into my own kitchen. After the meal, I ordered his newest cookbook, Spain My Way: Eat, Drink, and Cook Like a Spaniard, eager to explore the recipes and stories behind the cuisine that has shaped his cooking.

As I turned the pages, I came across Tomates Aliñados, a simple tomato salad served at a tiny country bar in southern Spain. It is described as a peaceful place surrounded by vegetable gardens and sugarcane fields, with just a handful of tables where guests gather for leisurely meals. The setting is humble, but the salad is a classic expression of Spanish cooking—ripe tomatoes dressed with excellent olive oil and paired with Manchego cheese and anchovies.

Today I’m sharing my recreation of this beautifully simple Spanish salad, along with a few photos from our dinner at Bazaar Meat—the memorable meal that inspired me to discover Spain My Way in the first place.

Tomates Aliñados (Spanish Tomato Salad)

Spanish Tomato Salad Recipe

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Fettuccine alla Papalina Inspired by Mother Wolf Las Vegas

Fettuccine alla Papalina Inspired by Mother Wolf Las Vegas

Fettuccine alla Papalina
👵 🐺
Inspired by Mother Wolf Las Vegas

An exceptional dinner at Mother Wolf at Fontainebleau Las Vegas inspired this recreation of one of the evening’s most memorable dishes: Fettuccine alla Papalina. While every course was beautifully prepared—from the crisp, golden Fiori di Zucca (batter-fried squash blossoms filled with ricotta) to the spectacular Branzino alla Brace (whole wood-grilled Mediterranean sea bass)—it was the seemingly simple pasta that stole the show.

Mother Wolf’s Fettuccine alla Papalina combines prosciutto cotto, melted butter, English peas, and Parmigiano Reggiano in a dish that proves how a handful of carefully chosen ingredients can create something truly unforgettable. Inspired by that memorable plate, I recreated my own version at home.

My recipe follows, along with photographs from our evening at Mother Wolf, including the beautiful dining room and several of our favorite dishes.

Mother Wolf Mural

Fettuccine alla Papalina is a classic Roman pasta. According to culinary tradition, the dish was created in Rome in the 1930s at a restaurant near the Vatican for Pope Pius XII, who requested a lighter, more refined version of the beloved Roman pasta dishes of the time.

Inspired by carbonara, the original preparation replaced guanciale with prosciutto and used butter, eggs, and Parmigiano Reggiano to create a silky, delicate sauce. Over time, variations have emerged, with some chefs adding ingredients such as peas or onion, but the essence of Fettuccine alla Papalina remains the same: a simple yet elegant Roman pasta built around exceptional ingredients.

Fettuccine alla Papalina Recipe

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Sadelle’s Elvis Sundae

Sadelle's Elvis Sundae

🍨🎸 Sadelle’s Elvis Sundae 🎸🍨

Few celebrity food favorites are as iconic as Elvis Presley’s love of peanut butter and bananas. Over the years, the combination has taken on a life of its own, becoming known simply as “Elvis” on dessert menus across the country.

Whether served in a sandwich, milkshake, cupcake, or sundae, the pairing evokes a bit of rock-and-roll nostalgia. At Sadelle’s  Café Las Vegas, those classic flavors are reimagined with peanut butter cookies, caramelized bananas, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate sauce for a dessert that’s irresistible.

Sadelle's Elvis SundaeThe sundae starts with creamy vanilla ice cream, then layers on quartered bananas that have been caramelized on the cut side until golden. A generous swirl of whipped cream is topped with chocolate chips and a drizzle of caramel sauce, while warm chocolate sauce is served in a silver pitcher for pouring over each serving just before digging in.

Make the Elvis Sundae at Home

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Estiatorio Milos and Grilled Squid

Estiatorio Milos
Estiatorio Milos at The Venetian Las Vegas

Estiatorio Milos and Grilled Squid
🇬🇷 🦑 🇬🇷 🦑 🇬🇷

Lunch at Estiatorio Milos was one of those meals where every dish felt simple at first glance, yet somehow absolutely perfect once it hit the table. A high-end Greek seafood restaurant located in The Venetian Resort on the Las Vegas Strip, founded by chef Costas Spiliadis, it is widely considered one of North America’s finest Greek dining establishments, known for its emphasis on pristine, fresh ingredients and authentic Mediterranean preparations.

We shared taramosalata with warm pita and crudité, a Greek salad with vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes and feta, slow-cooked gigantes, grilled jumbo prawns, chargrilled octopus with Santorini fava, sautéed diver scallops, and a beautiful sepia dish with fresh Mediterranean cuttlefish and black ink risotto.

The cuttlefish especially stayed with me afterward. I wanted to recreate that same Mediterranean combination of seafood, olive oil, lemon, and black rice at home, but since fresh cuttlefish wasn’t available, I decided to make my own version using grilled squid instead.

Grilled Squid
Grilled Squid with Black Rice, Two Ways

The squid turned out so tender and lightly smoky from the grill that I ended up making two variations. The first version was sliced into strips and paired with grilled chiles. For the second version, I sliced the grilled squid into rings and tossed it generously with fresh parsley and basil before serving it over black rice. To echo some of the briny depth of the restaurant’s black ink risotto, I cooked the rice in clam juice, which gave the dish an even deeper seafood flavor.

Squid worked beautifully here as a substitute for cuttlefish because the preparation is so simple and seafood-focused. While cuttlefish is slightly meatier and richer, grilled squid brings a similarly clean Mediterranean flavor and silky, succulent texture.

Estiatorio Milos and Grilled Squid

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